Ceremony underscores need to live by Treaty

The decision to present RCMP Const. Cameron Schmidt with an eagle feather for the work he undertook on the Kinistin Saulteaux Nation was an obvious one.

“According to Treaty … (the Chief of the time) put a stipulation in there we’re not supposed to have any kind of intoxicants introduced or sold on the reserve,” said Kinistin Chief Albert Scott. “It’s a historical decision that I’m trying to follow, what my grandfathers and grandmothers set out to do in Treaty.”

The Kinistin Saulteaux signed adhesion to Treaty 4 in 1876.

Schmidt was recognized in a special ceremony held in Tisdale on Aug. 30. His parents flew in from British Columbia and RCMP Assistant Commissioner Russ Mirasty, Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nation Vice-Chief Morley Watson, and Tisdale Deputy Mayor Richard Lamb were in attendance.

“I don’t even know how to describe how big of an honour it is. It’s more of an honour than I thought it was initially,” Schmidt said.

The presentation of an eagle feather is the highest honour a non-First Nations person can receive from a First Nations community.

Schmidt was recognized for his work which led to a drug seizure on the Kinistin First Nation. On March 12, the RCMP executed a search warrant of a premise on the reserve and seized 60 marijuana cigarettes, $1,000 in cash, an undisclosed amount of prescription drugs and paraphernalia, and several cell phones. A Kinistin First Nation woman as well as a man from Fort McMurray was charged with Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking and Possession of Property obtained by crime under $5,000.

“The officer put a stop to drug selling on the reserve. We don’t have any drugs at the moment,” Scott said.

For Schmidt it was all in the line of duty.

“I was just doing my job the same way all the other members are,” he said.

Schmidt carried out the investigation while the other members of the Tidsdale detachment, where  Schmidt has been stationed for two and a half years, helped out.

“It all came together,” said Schmidt. Tisdale is his first posting.
And Kinistin First Nation would be remiss in not showing their appreciation for the hard work, says Scott.

“Sometimes we don’t say thank you enough. And the only time we seem to speak good about people and their good works …is when they go to the Spirit World. This was an opportunity to say thank you to an individual while he’s still on Earth,” he said. “As a Chief, I tried to say thank you in a way that meant something.”
The eagle feather presented to Schmidt is aptly called gratitude.
Elders, community members and youth all attended the ceremony.

“We turned a negative into a positive and that’s what I feel pretty proud of,” Scott said.

The ceremony is a reminder to Kinistin members of the commitment to Treaty, a way of life and the value that needs to be put on youth, he says.

“I chose to make a stand. I as a Treaty Chief, I haven’t touched or consumed or drank any alcohol for 25 years now. I’m trying to set an example for our people, for our youth. To try and live the Treaty way, like our grandfathers and grandmothers have set out for us,” said Scott.

Drugs and alcohol bring a lifestyle centred around violence and that is not acceptable on the reserve, he says.

“Treaty says we’re supposed to keep peace and good behaviour with ourselves. It also states that anybody that violates the stipulation of Treaty will be brought to justice,” said Scott, who adds it upsets him that one of the people charged in the recent drug bust is a band member.

Kinistin Saulteaux Nation has a band council resolution from the previous chief and council that allows council to take action and banish non-members from the reserve if their behaviour is deemed undesirable.

Scott says there has been some discussion about adopting a similar BCR that could see band members banished.
But that is not the way Scott wants to go.

“At the moment I’d like to lead by example,” he said. “I’ve known leaders to change people’s minds in the world without even demonstrations, something like that. We have those around the world. That’s what I’m trying to live by.”

Right now, Scott has taken heart in a drug-free reserve.
“If we were all Treaty people the police would not have to enforce these laws, in fact we would be law abiding citizens.
That’s what our grandfathers, our grandmothers set out to do and we are hoping we will change in the future toward that so we can have a stronger and healthier nation.”